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Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Australian golfer Adam Scott hopes to maintain a home-course advantage during the 2019 Presidents Cup after asking fans in his native country not to cheer for Tiger Woods and other U.S. golf stars at the tournament. The tournament takes place Dec. 12 to Dec. 15 at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia. Woods headlines the United States Team, along with Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler and other popular golfers on the global stage.
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"Last time it was too friendly," Scott told the Herald Sun. "Quite bluntly, we want the home-crowd advantage, and I'll be disappointed if they are cheering enthusiastically for Tiger or anyone on the U.S. Team."
Woods will be making his first Australian appearance since 2011. The U.S. Team has beaten the International Team seven consecutive times entering the 2019 edition of the tournament. The teams played to a tie in 2003. The International Team last won in 1998, when the tournament was played in Australia for the first time.
"I'm not saying be a poor sport, but one challenge our team has always had is gaining a home-soil advantage because it's rare that stars like Tiger and D.J. [Johnson] come to Australia or Korea where we play these things and the locals are excited to see them as much as anyone on our team," Scott said.
"But while we appreciate them very much, we don't have to cheer for them."
The Presidents Cup was played in South Africa in 2003, in Canada in 2007 and returned to Australia in 2011. The 2015 Presidents Cup was played in South Korea. The U.S. Team beat the International Team 19-11 in the 2017 Presidents Cup in New Jersey.
Scott is set to participate in the Australian Open and the Australian PGA Championship in the weeks around the Presidents Cup. The Australian Open is from Thursday through Sunday, while the Australian PGA Championship is from Dec. 19 through Dec. 22.
Woods sits at No. 7 in the Official World Golf Ranking, while Scott is ranked 15th.
